LOCALIZATION OF NEUTRAL AND ACIDIC GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS IN RAT LENS

Rat lens was found to contain several neutral and acidic glycosphingol ipids in lens epithelia, cortex and nucleus, and showed developmental changes in their content and localization. TLC-immunostaining of gangl iosides revealed the enrichment of some ganglio-series gangliosides (G M3, GM1, GD3 and GD1b) in lens epithelia and the presence of GM3 and G D3 in the lens nucleus, Immunohistochemical studies confirmed the dist ribution of GM3 and GM1 in anterior lens epithelial cells and the cort ex, with expression decreasing toward the lens nucleus, Immunoreaction to GD3 was more intense in the lens nucleus than in epithelial cells. In contrast, the expression of neolacto-series glycosphingolipids was restricted to the lens nucleus, In order to investigate the pathologi cal changes of glycosphingolipids in cataract, galactose-induced catar actous lenses were examined, However, no significant changes were obse rved in the content and composition of glycosphingolipids. In addition , Lewis(x) epitopes found in human cataractous lenses were not detecte d in the cataractous lenses of galactosaemic rats and hereditary catar actous Emery mice.